Killers, a great horse, a classic, and John Sayles....

---- I watched these films recently:

TCMs 30 Days Of Oscar:

Gigi (1958) Leslie Caron, Louis Jourdan, Maurice Chevalier. An all-time favorite musical. The cast is perfect; the sets and costumes are perfect; the songs are just right; so for me, this is a 10/10 all time favorite film. I just watch and enjoy. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0051658/

FXHD:

The Replacement Killers (1998) Chow Yun Fat, Mira Sorvino. Chows first Hollywood film and it almost ruined him. However, it is not that bad. Sorvino and he are good together and the theme music is unusual. The action cannot compare to his John Woo films from Hong Kong, but are as good as many action films from La-la land. Story of revenge among the Chinese criminal class, and how with blackmail, people can be made to do almost anything. 7/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120008/

DVR'd off HBO:

Sunshine State (2002) Edie Falco, Timothy Hutton, Angela Bassett, Mary Steenburgen, Jane Alexander, Ralph Waite, Alan King. A John Sayles film about Florida and development. Good and bad, yes and no, and the decisions people make. Bassett and her doctor husband, (Desiree and Reggie), have come to visit her Mama and the old home next to a beautiful white beach. It is in the area that was bought up by a wealthy black man and resold to other blacks in the early years of Florida when no blacks were allowed on beaches run by towns or counties. But with desegregation, lots of the original families have gone on to other places. So the land is ripe for picking by land developers. The various characters and companies who want to develop strip malls and franchise restaurants come like locusts. One company has its' bulldozers ready. The Temple family, who own a motel, restaurant complex, are the interesting group. Daughter Marly(Falco) runs things now, but hates it. Dad, Furman (Waite), is almost blind, and rants about how things used to be, when you could refuse accommodations to anyone. Mom, Delia(Alexander), has her own life and has never had any part of the family business. But she has had 25 years of running a community theater. At the final scenes of the story, she is the one who tells the hot-shot snotty businessman what is what, and what he and the other guys wanting to develop the land will have to do - sign contracts, share future profits, 5-10 years down the road, etc. Not for nothing has she raised and managed funds for her beloved theater all these years. There will be development, but there will be some who can say what kind. Long and complex, this is a film with many stories and takes its' time. Alexander plays her big scene quietly and with such good humor, you almost fail to realize it is the key scene in the film. The rest of the cast are very good and all have their shining moments. 7/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0286179/

DVD Rental:

Secretariat (2010) Diane Lane, John Malkovich. Great horse, born from a great sire, is the hope of Meadow farm and Penny Chenery. She has had to bury her mother, and see that her father is unable to run his business any longer. The film is more about how she copes and manages to win in a man's game, finding the great trainer and jockey she needs to win races. There is no doubt that at any point in those first two years of the great horses life, if she had not had grit, she could have lost control and there might not have been a Triple Crown at all. The winning of the Belmont, the last leg of the Triple, by 23 lengths was one of the greatest feats in horse racing and stands as a record to this day. I watch it and always get a lump in my throat and tears spill out of my eyes. 8/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1028576/

More hours go to checking records and filling in the blanks of my genealogy history than watching films since 2011 began. It is a fascinating journey.

2008's Best??----

---one is and one isn't...IMHO.

Slumdog Millionaire (2008) This film is not one I will ever see again. I waited to see it until I finally DVR'd it and watched in two sittings. It was so boring and awful in the first half, I went to sleep. I watched the second half last night and did a lot of fast forwarding. I really cannot see what got everyone so entranced. The children were mistreated and lived in squalor their entire lives. Triumph of the spirit, but it is not pretty or uplifting to watch, IMO. 4/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1010048/

The Wrestler (2008) Mickey Rourke, Marisa Tomei, Evan Rachel Ward. The fake and brutal world of the pro wrestler and how Randy "The Ram" Robinson has become the faded has been he is now, compared to the star of 20 years ago. He is barely making beer money on the American Legion circuit and has been locked out of his trailer by the park manager, for back rent. He has almost no contact with his only child, daughter Stephanie. She wants nothing to do with him. He frequents a stripper joint and pays for the services of lap-dancer, Pam. At one of his matches, both guys get really violent and he has a heart attack. The doctor tells him he will die if he doesn't give up the ring and the various drugs he uses to keep at top physical shape. So he tries a job at the grocery full time; connection with Stephanie; and asking Pam to marry him. All his overtures are failures. He is a displaced soul. He goes back to the familiarity of the ring and tells the crowd "you are my family." He would rather die in the ring among his devoted fans than live in utter despair. Rourke is superb. 8/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1125849/

Another snow shower last night - about 3 inches. Phil says we are in for 6 more weeks. Bah! Humbug! LOL

TCMs Oscar month begins-----

---and so far, I haven't been tempted. Why is that? So many Oscar nominated, or winners, are films I have no desire to see after the first time. Anyway, here is a early musical I have never seen before; and a nice little indie film about real people:

One Hour With You (1932) Maurice Chevalier, Jeanette MacDonald, Genevieve Tobin, Charles Ruggles, Roland Young. Pre-code and a bit naughty with Jeanette in her sciveys and low cut gowns. Some good songs. Andre is a doctor, Colette his young wife. Very much in love, but---- Mitzi is Colette's best friend, but you know...she can't help but flirt with the good Doc. Her husband, Olivier, is trying to get out of his marriage and sets up a private eye to follow his cheating spouse. Parties and so forth provide the opportunity for mischief. Our love birds are reunited at the fade-out. Highlight is the song "One Hour With You" as the couples dance and change partners among the cheating and mixups. Cast is very good. 8/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0023303/


Stand & Deliver (1988) Edward James Olmos, Lou Diamond Philips. Great story of the impact a teacher can have on students. Jaime Escalante wants his students, who are prone to dropping out of school, to have a better chance at life. He challenges them to learn calculus to build up their self-esteem and take the college test, and when they do so well on the test, that they are accused of cheating, he challenges the officials in charge of testing. His students are given the test over again, and again have high scores. This time there is no question, it is legitimate and Escalante demands that the original tests be reinstated. For the next few years his classes grow in numbers of students and have the highest scores on the college test. Inspiring story of a real man and real school - Garfield High in east L.A. 8/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094027/

We are in the deep freeze with mountains of snow piled up everywhere. Nothing for it but hot drinks, soup and movies by the fire. Yes, indeed......